| WWuppertal - Schwerin - Berlin 29. 07. - 16. 08. 2003 |  |
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In times of international terrorism and a world
wide threat to peace, twin town friendship in the sense of personal encounters
and intercultural exchanges is today more important than ever. The Global
Friendship Meeting at Wuppertal aims at making people aware of the neccessity
of twin town relationships and environmental sustainability. Cycling as
a means of transport and an ideal way of travelling will be a major topic
at the conference. There will be a number of lectures and workshops on related
subjects. New ideas for future cross border activities will be developed.
And, of course, the meeting is to be the starting point of new friendship between people from all over the world. For further details see agenda |
International Environmental Twin Town Conference
Wuppertal, 29th - 31st July, 2003
"Sustainable Transport and Town Twinning -
Models and Perspectives"
July 29th, 2003
Global Friendship meeting
Today started the Global Friendship Meeting in the ecumenical workshop on the Hardt in Wuppertal. After all our Global Friends have arrived in good condition. There was a short refreshment in the afternoon. As first common action the Global Friends climbed the "Bismarck"-Tower to see Wuppertal from airy height under clear sky. In between the Equipment (bikes and accessories) was distributed under the Global Friends, which had arrived without equipment.
The Global Friendship Meeting was officially opened in the evening. Wolfgang Morhenn welcomes under applause the participants of the twin towns of Matagalpa, Beer Sheva, Legnica, Beer Sheva, Jekaterinburg, South Tyneside and Schwerin.
As official representative of Wuppertal Dr. Ziegler welcomed the Global friends. He presented how it came to the twin town movement after the second World War. A French mayor who was in the Resistance in the war and a German mayor, a former prisoner of war, had the idea to these moving friendships. Dr. Ziegler appreciated the town twinnings and the people who forward this idea as ambassadors of the towns, nations and cultures. He was pleased that the Global Friends start there journey as ambassadors for peace and friendship between the nations.
After the welcoming the single groups of the participants introduce themselves. E.g. our friends from Israel (Amir, Frid and Rafi) introduce themselves with the motto "Ride Into the green Desert" or also our friends from Jekaterinenburg (Larissa, Viktor Konstantin and Anton) who sing us a song of the meaning of community ("a word is only a word, many words yield a song"). With every group the whish grows to "experience" among each other. And all of them were glad to deny the Global Friendship Tour in the next weeks.
A tone Dia show followed after the dinner. In this show the story of the green route was demonstrated with lovely pictures from the trips on the bikes to the twin towns. This was a beautiful tuning on the end of the first evening till the coming days.
July 30th, 2003
Global Friendship in Wuppertal
The eventful day started with a lecture / briefieng to the bicycle tourism in Wuppertal. Then it was on the whole: the first trip started.
From the "Hardt" to the Matagalpa-shore where there was exquisite coffee from Nicaragua. The trip continued at the "Engels-Hause" past to the Beer Sheva-shore where the Global Friends eat palatable oranges from Israel. The journey wents to the city hall where the deputy mayor for environement Harald Bayer greeted our friends. To this appointment our friends brought along greeting messages from her native country.
After the common lunch the new synagogue was visited in Wuppertal. It went on by bike to Wuppertal-Oberbarmen. The Global Friendship Tour climbed up in the suspension-railway and floated in the old emperors-car through Wuppertal. Once in life, floating through Wuppertal ...
It went on to the "Rosenau" in Oberbarmen back where a dance of a Wupper-water-nymph expected our friends. The trip went on to the bridge between the St.Etienne and South-Tyneside-shores. Our Global Friends danced to the accordion waltzes and Square-Dance, till the bridge swungs up and down for 40 cm.
It went back after this to the Hardt. There it gaves the first probation test - uphill with the bike back to the hostel. The whole in a summery shower of rain. It lasted a little but all of them have arrived in good condition.
Unfortunately, there were a faulty bicycle and an accident today. Bettina became striped of a car, so the fright went to her bones. But God bring gratitude only a couple of easy scratches at the metal have left.
The evening ended after a short break with a BBQ. The friendship-lime-tree also was at this feast planted and all Global Friends helped hard.
30. Juli 2003
Pictures of the Friendship Meeting
In our Picture Gallery you can find the first photos of the Global Friendship Meeting
31. Juli 2003
Global Friendship on sight-seeing
Today started with a lecture about the european far biking routes.
After this, a sight-seeing-tour by coach to the "Zeche Zollverein" in Essen was the next event. The inoperative coal-mine is a location for culture acts and events. Our friends visited the place in a guided bike- and sight seeing tour. Back to Wuppertal again by coach.
In the evening, the Global Friendship Party happend, in which the Tour-Teams were introduced. The Team Spirit Manager showed their skills and the Global Friends attuned for the first hop tomorrow.
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| GDiscovering Europe | meeting people | getting to know cultural heritage | enjoying nature | beyond all bounds: twin town cycling |